Energetics and mixing efficiency of lock-exchange gravity currents using simultaneous velocity and density fields

Abstract

A series of laboratory experiments on energy conserving gravity currents in a lock-exchange facility are conducted for a range of Reynolds numbers, $Re= \frac{U_Fh}{\nu} =$ 485-12270. The velocity and density fields are captured simultaneously using a PIV-PLIF system. A moving average method is employed to compute the mean field and a host of turbulence statistics, namely, turbulent kinetic energy ($K$), shear production ($P$), buoyancy flux ($B$), and energy dissipation ($\epsilon$) during the slumping phase of the current. The subsequent findings are used to ascertain the quantitative values of mixing efficiency, $Ri_{f}$, Ozmidov length-scale ($L_O$), Kolmogorov length-scale ($L_\kappa$), and eddy diffusivities of momentum ($\kappa_m$) and scalar ($\kappa_\rho$). Two different forms of $Ri_{f}$ are characterized in this study, denoted by $Ri_{f}^I=\frac{B}{P}$ and $Ri_{f}^{II}=\frac{B}{B+\epsilon}$. The results cover the entire diffusive regime (3 $<Re_b<$ 10) and a portion of the intermediate regime (10 $<Re_b<$ 50), where $Re_b=\frac{\epsilon}{\nu N^2}$ is the buoyancy Reynolds number that measures the level of turbulence in a shear-stratified flow. The values of $P$, $B$, and $\epsilon$ show a marked increase at the interface of the ambient fluid and the current, owing to the development of a shear-driven mixed layer. Based on the changes in the turbulence statistics and the length scales, it is inferred that the turbulence decays along the length of the current. The mixing efficiency monotonically increases in the diffusive regime ($Re_{b}<$10), and is found to have an upper bound of $Ri_{f}^{I}\approx$ 0.15 and $Ri_{f}^{II}\approx$ 0.2 in the intermediate regime. Using the values of $Ri_{f}$, the normalized eddy diffusivity of momentum is parameterized as $\frac{\kappa_m}{\nu.Ri_{g}}$=1.2$Re_{b}$ and normalized eddy diffusivity of scalar as $\frac{\kappa_{\rho}}{\nu}$=0.2$Re_{b}$